Water meter



2Sheets-Sheet1.

Patented July 17, 188B.

l i \\\`k\ LENASE.'

' WATER METER.

(No Model.)

Eig-.1

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

L. H. NASH.

WATER METEE.

No. 281,390. Patented'July 17, 18am.

UNITEE STATES PATENT FFICE.

LEWIS H. NASH, OE BROOKLYN, AssieNoE To THE NATIONAL METER COMPANY, OENEW YORK, N. Y.

WATER-M ETER.

SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,390, dated July1.-'7, 183g.-

Application filed October 17, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

.Be it known that I, LEWIS HALLOoK NASH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Water-Meters, of Which thefollowing is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in rotary Water-meters of the kindknown as the crown-meter, 7 for which Letters Patent Were granted to meunder dates of January 21 and January 28, 1879.

A distinctive characteristic of the crownmeter consists of a piston(Which may also form a valve) adapted to have an eccentric or siderocking movement upon continually-changing lines of contact Withinandacross the center of the circular chamber of the meter-case, toeffeet the division of said chamber at tWo or more continually-changingcontact-points on its sides into receiving and discharging spaces, Which communicate With the inlet and With the outlet, the continuouspassage of the Water through said chamber being effected by therevolvingmotion of the piston around its oWn center7 the inflow and the outflowtaking place at the opposite ends of the piston. This compound movementof the piston is effected by the relative shape of the piston and theinner Walls of its case, and by the direct action of the Water upon thepiston, for as the piston rocks from one bearing-point to anotherdirectly across the center of the chamber it is at the same timerevolved by the force of the flow to effect the measurement by suitableregistering mechanism of the Water passing into and fromthe chamber. Thecontinually-changing points or lines of contact at different parts ofthe piston and of the chamber-Walls, and of the continually-changingvolumes of the receiving and discharging spaces formed thereby allow theWater to iiow through a valve or through the piston valve-ports into andVfrom these spaces as they fill and discharge Without impeding its iloWor lessening its force.

. rIhe objects of my present improvements on the crown-meter are toproduce a more uniform rolling movement of the piston upon its sidebearing-points, to reduce the Wear upon .the bearing-points, to obtainthe greatest accuracy of measurement, and to lessen the eX- pense andlabor in the manufacture of the meter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my improvements, in Which Figure 1represents a vertical central section, and Fig. 2 a horizontal sectiontaken on the lineasI of Fig. 1, showing a piston Which. also constitutesthe valve in the relation it occupies in dividing the chamber intoreceiving and discharging spaces; Fig. 3, a top vieW of the piston,showing its valve-ports, and Fig. 4 a vertical section of the same.

The piston C is made of hard rubber,Which has nearly the specificgravity of Water. I prefer the construction shown, With valve-v portsformed Within the piston and adapted to operate Within a chamber havingWaterpassages formed in its opposite inlet and outlet heads, so that, inWhatever position the piston may be, the valve-ports at one end of thepiston Will alWays communicate With the inlet-passage and thevalve-ports at the other end of the piston Will always communicate Withthe outlet-passage of the chamber -during the continually-changingpoints of division of said chamber made bythe sideWise rolling movementsof the piston. The piston has circumferential radial projections c, andrecesses d between the said projections, While the interior Wall of thechamber has radial projections e and intermediate recesses, f, theprojections and recesses both of the piston and of the chamber-Wallsbeing equal to the depth of said chamber. The relative shape of theseprojections and recesses is such as to adapt the chamber projections toiit Within the pistonrecesses and form a bearing-j oint on one side ofthe chamber, and at the other side to form such bearing-j oint by thecontact of the projections of the chamber and piston, as the piston iscaused to revolve and to rock sideWise across the center of the chamber,thereby forming,

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j ccti ons.

ments I deem it unnecessary to fully describe the principle embraced insuch construction and operation (as such matter is set forth in my saidpatents) further than is necessary to an understanding of myimprovements.

The valve within the piston is formed by a central space, D and E, ineach end, of equal depth and`area, and an annular space, F and G,surrounding each central space, of equal depth and area. These annularspaces communicate with each other by means of interior diagonalpassages crossing in opposite directions. The central space, D, at theinlet end of the piston communicates with the annular surrounding spaceG at the outlet end of the piston by the diagonal passages g g g, whilethe annular central space, E, at the outlet end of the pistoncommunicates with the annular space Fat the inlet end of the piston bythe ldiagonal passages h h 71, as shown.

Port-s c2 are arranged in the heads A B of the chamber, in communicationwith the inlet and the outlet central openings, D E, in the piston, andin the heads o1` the case. Each of the chamber-heads forms a shell, andthe ports c2 therein correspond in number with the recesses in thechamber-wall, and said ports c2 communicate by curved passages withports f`, opening at said wall-recessesf within the chamber. Thisarrangement ofthe ports is the same in both the chamber-heads anddoubles the capacity of the valve. The curved passages in the headsstand one way in the inlethead and in the opposite direction in theoutlet-head, so as to direct the water into the chamber on oppositesides of the piston and in the same direction with its revolving motion,so that both heads have corresponding ports in which some of one setcommunicate with the central valve-spaces in the piston during itsmovements, and the other set opening directly into the eylimler-ehamber.Betwecnand j oiuing these heads the piston-valve works in its siderocking and rotary movements, so as to constantly change itscommunication with said head-ports c", but not with the inlet and theoutlet central ports of said heads. This construction gives greatercapacity to the valve, and serves to balance the pressure oi' the wateron each side of the piston, because E and F are the outlet-spaces,communicating with cach other, while D and G are inlet-spaces, andcommunicate with each other. i

The piston has a shifting connection with the dial mechanism by means ofa central stem, II, to accommodate the side rocking movement across thecenter of the chamber, as shown in my said patent of January 21, 187 9,to which reference is made.

The important matter of my improvement is the reduction of wear upon thepiston pro- In my said patents the division of the chamber is effectedon one side by the bearing oi the piston projection direct upon the wallof the chamber, between its projections, and on the other side bythebearing of the piston projection upon the chamber-wall projection,producing more or less slip or slide, and consequent wear, upon thesebearingpoints in the rolling rocking movement of the piston from onebearing-point to another.

I provide a new j oint-forming construction whereby the piston-is causedto roll in a uniform manner upon its bearings without wear or slipping.For this purpose I make the bearing projections of the chamber-wall ofsoft metal like that known as Babbitt metal.77 These separatebearing-parts are cast upon ribsz' on the inner side of the chamber-wallwithin a form which leaves the wearing-surihces smooth and finished.These separately-cast bearing parts become, in being east, rigidlyfastened to the wall-ribs, which may be of dovetail or other form tomake a lock for the soft metal. These bearing projections are formedwith straight sides r and lat side projections, s, and the recesses dofthe piston are of eorrespondin g form, so as to effect an engagementwith the piston projections similar to that of gear-teeth, at one sideonly of the piston. At this engaging side of the piston the bearing-ribdoes not make the engagement; but the separate wall projection c, ofsmooth soft metal, matches with the recess d in the piston by a closejoining, so that the bearing parts at the opposite side of the pistonwill be caused to pass each other without producing the least slippingof the engaged bearing parts. The outer angles of the recesses of thepiston are trimmed off, so as not to interfere with the proper movementof the piston. The smooth hard surface ofthe rubber of the piston andthe smooth surface of the soft-metal bearings of the chamber producevery great advantage in easy movement and in the maintenance of a closejoining action of the piston.

To lessen the cost of manufacture I cast the chamber-forming case withthe lower chamber-head and with the inlet and the outlet passages I andJ, the latter communicating by a passage, J outside the chamber-wall,with a separate top chamber, L, which forms an inclosing-case for thedial mechanism, and into which the outlet-ports of the valve open, asshown in Fig. l. This construction saves metal and much labor incompleting the meter.

The arrows show the direction of the flow of the water.

An important matter of this improvement is that the piston projection isrelieved 'from making the bearing upon the chamber-wall at theinterlocking side, and instead the bearing at this point is made by theseparate smooth chamber-wall projection upon another part of the piston,so as to form a eloseholding ofthe piston at such point.

I have described the piston-recesses d as being of a corresponding formto the chamberwall projections c, and it will beseen that the recess dis formed of aflat surface bounded by straight right-angle sides,eorrcspondi ng to the fiat sides r 1' of the soft-metal wall projectionsIOO IIO

ofthe case, the corners of said right-angle recess sides being beveledor rounded to prevent binding in the angles ofthe soft-metalprojections.

I claim l 1. The combination, in a rotary-Watermeter, of a piston having:circumferential projections and recesses', constructed, substantiallyas described,with a chamber having Wall pro- 1o j ections adapted tointermatch and form a division-joint with the piston on one side, theprojections of the piston and of the chamber forming the division-jointon the opposite side of the piston, substantially as described. r 5 2.The combination, in a rotary meter, of a piston having circumferentialprojections and recesses, substantially such as described, with achamber having separate Wall projections of soft metal, correspondingWithY the said pistonrecesses, for operation as described.

I 3. The combination of the chamber-forming case, having interiorWall-ribs upon which bearing projections of soft-metal are castvith thepiston adapted to operate upon said separately cast chamber-bearings,for the purpose specied.

4. The Water-metercase herein described, formed with the lower headhaving ports, and the inlet and the outlet passages, as shown anddescribed, combined With a separate top head and a separate topinclosing-case, as described.

5. In a Water-meter, the combination of the hardrubber piston, havingcircumferential projections and recesses,with achamber-forming casehaving Wall projections of soft metal corresponding with the recesses ofsaid piston,for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand yin the presence of twosubscribing Witnesses.

r LEWIS HALLOGK NASH.A Witnesses:

CHRISTOPHER C, NVHITTEMORE,

VILLIAM C. VVEsTERvELT.

